1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to devices designed to mount lightweight objects by suspending them (framed pictures, knickknacks) or affixing them (posters, charts, maps) on semi-permeable walls. The invention takes advantage of the unique material qualities of the interior building material known by the trade names gypsum wallboard, sheetrock, or drywall (referred to as drywall the remainder of this application). In the following specifications the term "object hanger" is used in reference to the mounting devices proposed for both suspending and affixing objects to drywall.
2. Description of Prior Art
Heretofore, object hangers have been designed to be secured to walls by nails or screws. Upon removing the hanger, the resulting hole would be substantial and unsightly, even when using small nails, tacks, or screws. Further, prevalent object hangers are limited to hanging objects by a wire, string or thread attached to the object and suspended from a grooved hanger. This leaves no provision for those objects with a slot, hole, or ledge recessed in the object. U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,526 to Rabinowitz (1986) provides projections for engaging frames with channels projecting outward from the back of and running the length of the frame. This device is limited because the vertical projections on the hanger are incapable of fitting into a recessed channel requiring the support of an inclined projection.
Mounting devices have been designed in consideration of drywall's firm, yet penetrable composition. U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,631 to Shorin (1973) employed the use of a cruciformed plastic nail providing more surface area to support the weight of the object to be suspended. U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,712 to Lloyd-Young (1958) proposed two interlocking nails driven in at differing angles to insure the object did not tear out from the wall under the weight of the object to be hung. In both these devices, substantial damage occurs from securing the wall hanger to the drywall. In addition, all other suspending devices require the use of a driving object to insert the nail, most commonly a hammer. These driving tools are necessary due to the relatively large cross section diameter of the nails used and the variety of walls the hangers can be applied to.
In short, all the mounting devices heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages, namely:
(a) Nails or screws are used to secure prior object hangers to walls. These hangers rely solely on the sheer strength and moment resisting properties of the nail or screw to support the weight of the object. As a consequence, the nail or screw must be of substantial cross section to support the object, leaving relatively large and unsightly holes when the hangers are removed. PA1 (b) The noticeable holes remaining when these object hangers are removed require spackling and repainting to eliminate the disfigurement--a bothersome job in the least. PA1 (c) The user must obtain either a hammer or screwdriver to install previous wall hangers. In the case of the screwdriver, the user must also assure that the screwdriver head is of an appropriate size for the screw used. PA1 (d) To affix the majority of object hangers to drywall, a user must have some skill in using either a hammer or a screwdriver. Hammers frequently smash exposed fingers when driving a small nail home. Additionally, care must be exercised to keep from either banging the wall with the hammer or slipping off the head of the screw and marring the wall with a screwdriver. PA1 (e) Prior object hangers have been designed either to hang objects from a wire, or to hang pictures with a frame designed with a long channel protruding from the frame, but not both. None of the prior art object hangers reviewed to date make provision for those objects with recessed slots, ledges, or holes requiring a protruding projection. PA1 (f) Prior hanger designs depend on the user inserting the nail at a strong point on the wall, preferably into a hidden load bearing member the drywall is attached to (referred to as a "stud"). Often, in the process of locating such a hidden member, a user inserts the hanger at many places, thereby increasing the unsightliness of the job. Additionally, if the user does not like the placement of the object and moves it several times to find the most aesthetic placement, the resulting unsightly holes greatly reduce the overall beauty of the wall. PA1 (g) If an object hanger is affixed to a hidden stud and a user desires to move the object from the present position, removing the hanger from the wall can be quite difficult. A lever must be located to remove the nail, often marring the drywall in the process. PA1 (h) Some object hanger designs situate the insertion of the nail or screw affixing the hanger above the level on the hanger the object is suspended from. This design often results in exposing a portion of the hanger once the object is hung. PA1 (a) to provide a method of fastening an object hanger to drywall without using a fastening component of substantial diameter. The goal is the design of a hanger which employs both sheer strength and moment resisting properties in a complimentary manner, thereby reducing the size of the affixing member. This would eliminate the relatively large diameter hole remaining when the hanger is removed. PA1 (b) to eliminate the need to spackle or paint the area where the hanger was affixed to the drywall by reducing the damaged area caused by the member used to affix the hanger to the wall. PA1 (c) to eliminate the need for a user to locate tools such as a hammer or screwdriver to insert a nail or screw driver previously used to affix prior object hangers to drywall. PA1 (d) to improve the ease of installing the object hanger by not requiring the use of a hammer or screwdriver. Additionally, the common mishaps of smashed fingers and/or marred drywall would be completely eliminated. PA1 (e) to provide an object hanger accounting for the various methods of mounting an object, be it by looping a wire, string or thread connected to the object over a groove on the hanger, or by engaging a cylindrical projection extending from the hanger into a complimentary ledge, slot, or hole built into the object to be hung. PA1 (f) to eliminate the need for a user to locate a load bearing "stud" to support the weight of a given object by employing the concepts of sheer and moment in a complimentary fashion. PA1 (g) to reduce the effort and eliminate the need for tools to remove the object hanger from the wall. Not requiring hammers and screwdrivers to remove nails and screws eliminate the possibility of marring the drywall in the process. PA1 (h) to provide a hanger which is easily hid behind the object to be suspended by securing the hanger to the drywall at a location just below the level the object is hung from.